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Monthly Archives: June 2014

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Our family might not be a conventional nuclear one, but I’ve always felt content. The absence of mother at home did not make me “feel less” in anyway. I love my mom and I really appreciate all her sacrifices for us – just like what I mentioned in my post here. But I am also very grateful for my dad for juggling work and family responsibilities, making sure that we’re taken care of, being physically there for us and helping us to go through life as easy as possible. I grew up not wanting more than I had because dad made me feel we had more than enough.

My daddy, Victorio Miras, is a wonderful man. He is likeable. Benevolent. Humorous. Affectionate. He is NOT an impeccable soul. He has flaws and weaknesses. Nonetheless, he has always been a great, if not a perfect, father to his children. And now that he is a granddad, he remains amazing! He is immensely loved by his grandchildren and he is known to them as “daddy cool.” My father is my first ever real life “superhero.” He may not have extraordinary powers like Superman or Batman or Spiderman, but he has always been there for us no matter what trials life has thrown at us. He devoted his life to save us from awful villains like heartaches, poverty and misery. He may not have realized this, but my father has taught me valuable lessons – either spoken or demonstrated – which somehow serve as my guiding principles in life.

Virtue. I was about fifteen years old when I gathered the courage to tell my dad that I was already exclusively dating someone. While maintaining his composure, he gave me sound advices which I took by heart. And one of the best counsels he gave that I could not forget, “If he’d ask you to go to dark places with just the two of you, say NO or just RUN!” (Dagan jud Chang!) hahaha He added, “Follow the Lord’s standard. I trust you, Chang!”

Not a single date I would go without asking permission from dad. I would always inform him where I was; who I was with and what time I would be home. He knew I wanted to be married in the temple of God that’s why he wanted to make sure that my choices would lead me to achieve my goal. I DID NOT FAIL HIM! Lesson: Guard your virtue and give it to someone who will bring you to the temple of God.

Education: My father wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth. In fact, his parents did not finish grade school and they only worked in a small farm a few kilometers away from their humble home. They had to do long strenuous fatiguing work just to be able to sustain their big family’s everyday needs. Life was surely tough. Nonetheless, their struggles and hardships became my dad’s inspiration to acquire a college degree, land a good paying job and ultimately, rise above their poor situation.

During his High School years, dad willingly endured walking hundreds and hundreds of meters in order not to miss school. Our father even recounted that there were times he would go to school with literally nothing, but determination and perseverance. Fortunately, my dad was one of the smart students in his class. There were instances wherein his wealthy, but not so intelligent classmates offered him their lunch boxes in exchange for tutorials or answers for assignments. And yes, he did gladly accept the bargain. To cut the story short, my dad finished college, got a decent paying job, and since then, has been living a much better life. Dad did not want us to tread the path of hardship he had gone; thus, he sent us to good schools and constantly motivated us to make education as our priority until we earned a college degree. Lesson: Acquiring a degree is your gateway to bigger opportunities in life.

Discipline: In my thirty years of existence, I’ve seen my dad got frantic with anger and frustration only ONCE. Dad was super busy doing something one day when my little sib and I decided to make fun of him. He wasn’t really happy about it, unsurprisingly, we got what we deserved. It was the first and last time, I saw him shaking with rage.

He’s always been a kind disciplinarian. Christine, my younger sister, and I always squabbled over things when we were still young. There was even one early morning that we started arguing again. As most parents would feel, dad was appalled by our behavior. Nevertheless, instead of shouting at us or rebuking us, he went out of the house and took a walk to release his anger. After a few minutes, he returned home with a good vibe and talked to us calmly. Then, he excitedly said, “Let’s eat!” and started funny conversations while eating our meal. Dad’s remarkable patience struck me.

He would never tolerate our wrongdoings, but in loving and kind manner he would always correct us. You see, raising us uprightly wasn’t easy, but he did not give up on us. We may not be perfect kids, but it is safe to say, dad did a great job in rearing us to become the kind of individuals we are now. Lesson: We do not need to get angry and raise our voice to instill values and lessons in others, especially in our children.

I wish I was as tolerant and kind as my dad.

Dreams: I couldn’t vividly recall how old I was when I told my dad that I dreamt of becoming the president of the Philippines. But his response is still so fresh in my memory, “Start running for lower-level office, like SK Chairman or Councilor.” With interest, he even asked if what my political platform was. And I replied in our native tongue, “UNSA NA? (What is that?)” 😀 My father never laughed at my goals and dreams even if it might sound odd or outlandish or even impossible.

He never doubted our capabilities, skills, intellect and ability to succeed. Dad has been our number one fan, greatest supporter, and constant motivator. He always believes that we can achieve anything through hard work, right education, and faith in the mercy and help of God. I may not have accomplished my political ambitions, but I have fulfilled my other worthy goals in life through the help of my parents. Lesson: Believe in yourself for you are destined to achieve greater things and become successful. You can always make your dream a REALITY!

Obedience. Before I left home to study in the United States, I told my dad that I was kind of anxious, because the place where I would live for how many years was foreign to me and I did not know what I should do to thrive. The best advice my dad gave me was, “If you want to be out of trouble, always strictly obey the rules and regulations in that country.” By the way, my dad received a scholarship to study in the USA after graduating High school. So, he knew what he was talking about and I really trusted my Dad’s word! True enough, everything went smoothly because I followed my dad’s counsel. After all, even in Heaven, “Obedience is the first law!” Lesson: Obey with exactness.

Faith. My parents became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when I was about four years old. But when my mom left home to work overseas, it was dad who diligently brought us to church, every Sunday, to attend Sabbath services. He would wake up early in the morning, prepare our breakfast, and ask us to dress up before eight o’clock so that we’d arrive in the church before the sacrament meeting began. It was him who wrote my first talk at church, signed my accomplished Young Women Progress book, and attended my Seminary graduation. Basically, I was raised knowing the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. And it was dad who helped me incorporate in my life the principles and teachings I’ve learned in the church – especially the Law of tithes and the power of the Atonement of Christ.

I was in grade school when my father helped me understand the Law of Tithing – paying one tenth of our earnings. Since I didn’t have income yet at that time, he taught me to deduct one–tenth from my weekly allowance. Although an “allowance” isn’t considered an “income” and should not be tithed, I did understand that he just wanted me to practice obeying the said law at an early age. One day, I told my dad I was hesitant and ashamed to pay my tithing because the envelope, pen and tithing slip were more expensive than the amount I had to pay. But he told me it didn’t matter whether the amount of tithing I had to pay was big or small. What would matter in the eyes of God, I was doing it in FAITH!

My dad has always been concerned with our spiritual well being. One Sabbath morning, he saw me not partaking of the bread and water during sacrament. He asked me in a soft voice if why I wasn’t partaking of the sacrament and that he noticed, it was already my second week of not doing so. “Did you commit a serious sin that needed to be resolved?” he inquired. I told my dad, “Yes!” I felt unworthy that I got mad that week and I had ill-feeling towards someone. He grinned and told me that I didn’t have to be perfect to be worthy to partake of the sacrament. Nonetheless, I should always resolve anything before Sunday and he reminded me not to be too harsh with myself. We all have weaknesses and we do fall short. However, we can always ask for forgiveness and trust in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Lesson: It’s the faith that counts and the power of atonement is real.

To my dad, thank you for being the kind of father that you are and for all the worth-sharing lessons you’ve taught us. I can’t wait to create more memories with you through traveling. We love you dearly!

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THE AUTHOR: Charisse M. Bien

An online journal of a simple woman who wants to achieve extraordinary things - definitely not for the sole purpose of pleasing the eyes of humans - for the gratification of the One who makes her life amazingly blessed! :)

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